Tanveer Ahmed is an alumnus of St.Xavier's College Kolkata and has had corporate stints with companies like Encyclopaedia Britannica and Genpact. He was a CAT trainer with T.I.M.E for more than 8 years before starting his own CAT Prep venture ADURO . For any advice / queries you can reach out to him on his facebook profile or on his CAT Prep group

One of the big questions troubling CAT aspirants is how to juggle CAT Prep and and other aspects of their life ( College / Work etc. ) This makes Time Management a significant aspect of the Prep process and an efficient TIME TABLE can be an invaluable tool if properly utilized . At ADURO we do not believe in spoon-feeding students but at the same time we feel that a few pointers in the right direction would go a long way in helping them realize their dreams.

The most common Queries raised by students are -

1 ) Please give me a time table for CAT Prep

Nobody can make a table for you . Just as nobody will be able to do your project for you in office . What you should do is to consult mentors and successful candidates and listen to what has worked for successful students in the past and adapt those plans to your situation and circumstances .

2 ) Who are the best advisers for this time table ?

The best people for this advice are those who have cracked the exam successfully.

There is a lot of misleading advice floating around on forums. Critically analyse the suggestions made to you . Approach the right people .Understand what category you belong to and approach people who had belonged to that category to find out what had worked for them .. Broadly these categories are :

STUDENT WITH LOW COLLEGE PRESSURE

STUDENT WITH HIGH COLLEGE PRESSURE

DROPPED A YEAR AFTER COLLEGE TO CHASE THE DREAM

WORKING PROFESSIONAL WITH A CHILL JOB ( there are a few of them ! )

WORKING PROFESSIONAL WITH HIGH WORKLOAD

3 ) What is the starting point for making this time table ?

The starting point for crafting your own time table is the realization that all aspirants have the same 24 hours to work with and need to utilize them as per their own compulsions ..

4 ) What role do newspapers and books play in the time table ?

At least one hour per day should be devoted to news papers and books so that your language skills and general knowledge quotient keep increasing over the year . You will find this extremely useful once you get your IIM calls as then the competition is among the most ambitious people in the country

5 ) Why do I have to listen to news/ current affairs chat shows on TV ?

During the GDPI process it is not enough to have content within you but you should also be able to present that content in a competitive atmosphere and articulate your thoughts in style . Your language skills also improve because of the audio effect . You learn to pronounce words correctly and clearly !

6 ) When should I start taking Mocks ?

Now!! Mocks are for finding out your weaknesses and vulnerabilities . They also serve as a reminder of how you are ranked among your peers . Do not ever underestimate the impact of a mock series . In this case it is best to enrol for a national level mock for dependable percentile predictions . Please do not try to save a few thousand rupees by solely depending on Free Mocks ! It will prove very costly in the long run . Also make sure you rigorously analyse the mocks . Just taking is not enough .

7 ) What is the best time of the day to study ?

As said earlier this would depend on which category you fall into and a small indicative chart is given below .Please make sure that you catch 6 hours of sleep regularly at roughly the same time . Do not upset your body cycle . This is a long game

8a ) I cannot concentrate when I sit down to study

Make SMART goals . -

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Timely

It will help you concentrate . Try to study in blocks of an hour or so. After that you tend to lose concentration .

8b ) How to balance QADI LR VA RC ? I am going insane !

Try out this method it has worked for many toppers

Day 1 - Study 1 hour of QA and one hour of DI and do a VA / LR sectional

Day 2 - Study 1 hour of VA and one hour of LR and do a QA /DI sectional

Keep repeating the cycle

Take Mocks on weekends and analyse

9 ) Do I need to spend time now on hobby development ?

Try to do something that genuinely helps you release tension . It has a double benefit . Keeps you calm and productive and you can speak about it in the PI

10 ) I panic!. Help

Try meditation yoga etc to make sure you have control over your minds thought processes and you can speed them up or slow them down as required

We hope the that this article has been successful in alleviating your fears and anxieties to some extent and now you feel more confident about belling the feline nemesis .